MANILA, Philippines?Forced to junk the misbegotten ?Pilipinas Kay Ganda? tourist promotion campaign, President Benigno Aquino has fallen back on an alternative that he knows nobody, whether know-it-all or know-nothing, can possibly object to.
He presented the world?s best pound-for-pound boxer, Manny Pacquiao, as the image he would like to project for the country under his administration.
Pacquiao is considered a national hero in the Philippines with the country virtually coming to a standstill whenever he fights.
?Of course, I?d be glad if you will accept him as the image of the Philippines. Indeed, the way he came from having nothing to reaching the heights of success is really worthy of admiration and emulation,? Mr. Aquino said at a joint news conference at the Palace with the newly arrived boxing icon.
That is how the President says the story of the Philippines will be told, as supposedly paralleling Pacquiao?s rags-to-riches story.
?From having totally nothing, we will show how beautiful and how rich (the country is) and that we will really move towards our goals,? he said.
Willing to serve
Asked if he was willing to serve as the poster boy for the country?s tourism, Pacquiao said: ?Yes, I?m willing. As long as I can help our country and our beloved President, why not.?
He said he was also willing to help in peace talks with Muslim separatist rebels in the south, where he is held in high regard.
However, Mr. Aquino said the government did not want to ask too much of the boxing hero.
?We have too many tasks for Manny,? he said, laughing.
Pacquiao and his wife paid a courtesy call on Mr. Aquino early Saturday following their arrival from the US, where he had beaten Mexican welterweight contender Antonio Margarito, winning a historic eighth world title.
The boxer, who is now a congressman representing Sarangani, presented the President with a miniature replica of his championship belt, an autographed Team Pacquiao T-shirt and a stack of DVDs.
Mr. Aquino gave him a bottle of champagne. There was no special cake, which Pacquiao used to receive on returning from a fight from former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
No state honors were announced either, as Malaca?ang is still looking around for what there is left to bestow on the boxing champion who has already received the Orders of Lakandula and of Sikatuna.
Inspiring ideals
The President said Pacquiao would be a big help in inspiring Filipinos with the ideals of honesty and hard work.
?The example of leading us and being the image of what we will do is a very big help,? he said.
Pacquiao, arguably the most recognizable Filipino in the world today, called on Filipinos to promote the country instead of putting it down, especially in front of foreigners.
?We should make the Philippines beautiful and we should all support it. Let?s not take potshots at our country and let us help in introducing our country to the world because this is our country,? he said.
The congressman said his homecoming to his hometown, General Santos City, will have to wait.
?I?ll first attend sessions on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. I?ll work first before I visit my district,? he said.
Looking fresh-faced and exhibiting nary a bruise or a scratch from his last fight, Pacquiao arrived on a Philippine Airlines flight from Los Angeles very early Saturday, his first homecoming as a politician and possibly his last as a boxing hero.
?This honor belongs not just to me and my family but to all Filipinos in all corners of the world,? he said, waving and smiling at an adoring crowd at the Naia Terminal 2 that had been cordoned off specially for his arrival.
Airport officials debated whether to include ?Honorable? before Pacquiao?s name to reflect his official status, but finally decided they didn?t want that to eclipse his achievements in the ring.
?I am very happy to be back with my family. Thank you to everyone, to the media and the fans for always supporting me … Now we are in history as the only boxer with eight championship belts in eight weight divisions,? he said in Filipino.
Not retiring yet
Though he said he was not retiring from boxing, Pacquiao said he would now focus on serving his constituents.
?I don?t want to say I will retire. There are still some fights in my future, but for now, let us forget boxing and focus on service … especially helping those in the district,? he told reporters.
He brushed aside questions he would someday run for president.
?I am not an ambitious person. That is not in my thoughts now. My work as a congressman, that is my focus,? he said.
Pacquiao said he was working toward the construction of a provincial hospital in his district by next year, one of his campaign promises, and pledged to continue efforts to bring projects to Sarangani.
Ready for next fight
Negotiations for his next fight are going on.
Pacquiao dismissed comments that he has been avoiding African-American fighters, noting that Joshua Clottey was black.
?I would not be called the pound-for-pound king if I avoided anyone,? he said.
?I?m ready to face anyone, as long as he?s a boxer,? he said. But Pacquiao admitted that he was more comfortable at weights of ?145, 147 or 140? pounds.
Pacquiao?s mother, known to the public as ?Mommy Dionisia,? sons Michael and Jemuel, and daughters Princess and Queenie were at the airport with other relatives to welcome him. He happily hugged and kissed his children.
Princess, 4, unfurled a handmade card with a design of the Philippine flag (with gold glitter to depict the sun and stars) and the message: ?Welcome back, Daddy. Congratulations. The Best Fighter in the World. I love you. I miss you. Princess Pacquiao.?
Subdued homecoming
Pacquiao?s return on Saturday was relatively subdued with the boxing hero forgoing the usual welcome parade that traditionally takes place after his boxing victories overseas.
?He really wants it low-key. It?s a Saturday and most of the people are resting in their homes,? his business manager Eric Pineda told Agence France-Presse.
Texas-style welcome
But Pacquiao would still have a homecoming concert and street party at the SM Mall of Asia grounds in Pasay City Saturday night, Pineda said.
From the airport, Pacquiao and his party went to the nearby New World Hotel which gave him a Texas-style welcome, complete with dancers performing a ?Cowboy Dance.?
Welcomers included his close friend and patron former Manila mayor Lito Atienza and Solar Sports executive Wilson Tieng.
?A buffet of Filipino home-cooked dishes like danggit, beef steak, tinolang manok, tapa, rellenong bangus, and other regular breakfast meals,? said Monique Toda, director of communications, reciting the spread of Pacquiao?s favorite dishes that the hotel had prepared.
Toda said the hotel room where Pacquiao always stays, now called the ?Pacquiao Suite,? has been personalized.
The couple?s bathrobes, for instance, were embroidered not only with their names but also with the number ?8,? for his unprecedented eighth title win. With reports from Tina G. Santos and Agence France-Presse
